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Stefan stood by the door wringing his hands and staring at her in sweaty panic。 Eddy realized with something like awe that he might never have been alone in a room with a girl before。 The thought was oddly touching。 She would have to remember not to make any sudden moves； otherwise she might frighten him clean away。
〃Zach's not here；〃 she told him。 〃He doesn't actually live in New Orleans anymore。〃
〃I heard he might have gotten busted。〃
〃Who said so？〃
〃I hear things。〃
That much she didn't doubt。 〃He wasn't busted。 He got away。 But he's okay…I got a message from him。〃
The hacker looked aghast。 〃He didn't call you here！〃
〃No。 He put a message in the paper； in secret code。〃 She showed him the folded page of yesterday's Times…Picayune。 Goddess in a bowl of gumbo； indeed。 〃See； I think this means he's in North Carolina； maybe heading for New York next。〃
He scowled at the paper。 〃Secret code？ This is kid stuff！〃
〃I suppose shutting down the 911 system is mature；〃 Eddy said coolly。 Zach had told her how Phoetus bragged on the boards that he could overload every emergency telephone circuit in the city if he wanted to。
Not seeming to register the insult…or perhaps not considering it an insult…Stefan edged past her into the room。 〃Where's the phone？〃
She pointed to Zach's desk； which was still piled high with books and papers but looked rather forlorn without the puter and boxes of floppy disks。 Zach had left his printer behind； though； Eddy guessed she would drag it out and hock it sometime soon。
Stefan took the receiver from the hook and pried off the plastic earpiece before Eddy could protest。 He removed a small black box from his pocket and clipped some wires running from it to something inside the phone； then peered owlishly at the box。 〃Well； nobody else has a tap on this line； but the government might。 They can tap straight from the phone pany if they've got a warrant。 Assume it's bugged。〃
〃What did you do to it？〃
He held up the black box。 〃This is called a multitester。 It reads your standard off…hook voltage。 If ifs too low； there's probably another device sucking volts off your line。〃
〃Oh。〃
Stefan had bee briefly animated。 Now he seemed to sink back into his sniffling； nervous fugue。 〃Look； I've got people after me too。 Why； if They knew I was here…〃
Eddy had closed the door as Stefan entered but had not yet bothered to lock it。 There was an iron security gate at the street entrance that led up to the apartment； and while French Quarter residents were generally careful about locking all their doors； the gate offered some semblance of privacy； some illusion of safety。
This illusion was shattered as the door flew open and banged against the wall； making a dent in the soft plaster。 All the policemen in the world seemed to e pouring into her tiny apartment。 Eddy had no idea how many there actually were。 All she saw was the guns； great oily insectile things unholstered and dripping death； pointed straight at her。
Eddy crouched and wrapped her arms around her head and screamed 〃NO！ NO！〃 She couldn't help it。 She had always had an instinctive terror of guns； perhaps in another life she had been a revolutionary sentenced to the firing squad or a gangster cut down in a street battle。
Behind her； she heard one of the most brilliant phone systems guys on the planet burst into tears。
The raid team totaled fifteen men： Secret Service agents； BellSouth phone…security experts； and curious New Orleans cops along for the ride。 Most of them faltered at the sight of the two cowering kids。 Several guns went back into their holsters。
The German machine pistol carried by Agent Absalom Cover wasn't one of them。 He kept it trained on the suspects and watched them writhe。 Either of these two could be Zachary Bosch； or the person hiding behind that name。
Agent Cover had wanted Bosch for a long time。 Other hackers goaded him unmercifully； threatened his credit and disrupted his phone service； left taunting messages in his E…mail； had done all but beard him in his New Orleans field office。 But Bosch was smarter than ten such crooks； and far more dangerous。 He didn't brag much。 He didn't leave cute little clues in his wake。 He just breezed through systems nobody should be able to get into； stealing information and wreaking havoc； and he covered his tracks like an Indian。
Finally a fifteen…year…old software pirate under interrogation had given them the keys they needed to trace him。 Scratch a hacker and find a rat； ask him the right questions； marvel a little at his amazing technical feats； and turn him into an eager rat。 Some of these kids were terrifyingly smart； but they were still kids。 And Agent Cover believed all kids were basically amoral。
He got his warrant and moved in fast。 Bosch couldn't have had time to slip between his fingers。
Still； once the first flush of adrenaline began to wear off； he found himself looking doubtfully at the two bawling kids。 He hadn't expected Bosch to fold so easily。 Most of these teenage whiz kids turned to jelly when they saw a few guns and badges； but then most of them had only broken into a system or two and browsed through sensitive files； maybe used a stolen phone code here and there or downloaded some software they shouldn't have。 Most of them weren't brazen enough or criminally inclined enough to rip shit off on the scale that Zachary Bosch had。
Cover took one last loving look at his Heckler & Koch and tucked it back into the holster inside his jacket。 He hadn't needed a gun on a hacker raid yet。 These kids loved to brag on the boards about how they would go down shooting； but the deadliest weapon Agent Cover had found in a hacker's possession was a dental probe the kid used for jimmying phone jacks。
As he approached the suspects； the punked…out Asian girl lifted her head and stared at him in teary defiance； like a gut…shot deer watching a hunter loom over her in the bloody snow。 She had enough crap dangling from her earlobes to set off a metal detector； and her hair looked like she'd cut it with a weed…eater in the dark。 Cover always wondered what had been done to these kids in early childhood to make them want to look the way they did。 He'd busted one hacker who had a blue mohawk and scorpions tattooed on the shaved sides of his skull。 Scorpions！
The tall； sickly…looking boy bolted for the bathroom。 Two of the cops were right behind him。 Cover heard the toilet lid bang up； the thick liquid sound of vomiting。
〃Hey！〃 One of the cops stuck his head back in； an expression of dismay plastered across his broad shiny face。 〃He just chunked his wallet an' keys in the crapper！〃
〃Fish 'em out。〃
〃But they're floatin' in a puddle of puke…〃
〃Fish 'em out；〃 Cover repeated。 The girl was watching him with a mixture of terror and loathing。 The rush of forced intrusion left him and he felt suddenly weary。 From the bathroom he heard 〃Awright； you little crook； fish 'em out；〃 followed by another round of puking。
The U。S。 Secret Service was charged with all manner of important duties and missions； any of which Ab Cover might have been assigned to upon his gra